Advances in Measurement and Verification

Fellow energy enthusiasts, I have some innovations to share with you! But, before I do, a couple of questions:

Have you ever heard of EM&V?

Are you familiar with its processes?

Let me provide a bit of background before discussing some recent advancements.

What is EM&V?

Evaluation, Measurement and Verification (EM&V) is the collection of methods and processes used to assess the performance of energy efficiency activities. EM&V is conducted for performance measurement of efficiency projects and measures, as well as to determine the impacts of efficiency programs. Measurement activities include data collection and the monitoring and analysis of energy efficiency programs necessary to reach their expected level of savings. Verification seeks to validate the savings expected during the measurement period. Evaluation activities generally refer to an entire review of the program. This includes: implementation process, program cost effectiveness, and whether or not the program successfully reached its efficiency goal and energy savings. Traditionally, a completed evaluation takes anywhere from months to years after a program has finished, as the measurement and analysis takes time to pull together.

NEEP’s Work to Advance M&V

As energy efficiency becomes even more important, innovation ramps up, and the EM&V space is impacted. NEEP’s newest brief, Advanced Measurement & Verification (M&V) Brief: An Evolving Industry, discusses some recent industry trends regarding M&V technologies and approaches. While evaluations are conducted by experts using gathered evidence, much of the measurement and verification of energy efficiency can be automated using advanced analytics and metering data, including data from smart meters which allows for quicker collection of information. As such, NEEP’s research focused on the M and V, and not the E of the EM&V pie. NEEP’s brief provides general information on the usage of M&V software by Software as a Service (SaaS) vendors and platforms. It presents several case studies from different organizations that have used M&V 2.0 to improve their energy efficiency and reduce building costs. This brief builds off of previous EM&V Forum publications and will be a central theme for our in-person Regional Fall Meeting.

Traditional M&V vs. Advanced M&V

Advanced M&V, also known as M&V 2.0, features an improved set of data collection tools. These tools increase the amount of data available after implementation of the efficiency program. Some of these tools include: high resolution meters, communicating smart thermostats, and nonintrusive load sub metering devices. They allow for the reporting of energy data in near-real time. NEEP maintains a list of advanced building analytics tools and vendors online, many of whom offer advanced M&V capabilities.

Who benefits from Advanced M&V?

In March 2017, The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) released a report identifying the benefits, methods, and requirements of advanced M&V. The paper considers two key features of M&V 2.0; the first being the increase in granularity of available data, and the second being the usage of automated analytics. The table below provides a brief overview of the stakeholder benefits associated with M&V 2.0 implementation.

Stakeholders

Stakeholder Benefit (Advanced M&V)

Program Administrators

Advanced measurement and can use early feedback to adjust verification (M&V) of energy program designs and budgets more efficiently

Program Implementers and Program Energy Service Providers

Benefits in many of the same ways as program administrators

ESCOs

Benefit from earlier and time-based feedback on savings performance for individual installations

As NEEP’s brief shows, an industry is growing around the potential of advanced M&V. The use of automated analytics in combination with improvements in granularity provide stakeholders with more timely and detailed information. As we enter the next generation of energy efficiency, NEEP will be helping to chart and track the M&V 2.0 developments.